Severe acute respiratory syndrome and critical care medicine: The Toronto experience

The 2003 global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) provided numerous challenges to the delivery of critical care. The Toronto critical care community has learned important lessons from SARS, which will help in preparation for future disease outbreaks.(Crit Ca...

Ethics of Outbreaks Position Statement

Outbreaks of disease, especially those that are declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, present substantial ethical challenges. Here we start a discourse (with a continuation of the dialogue in Ethics of Outbreaks Position Statement.

What to Do When a Payer Audits Your Documentation

This article was originally published in the November 2019 issue of Critical Connections . Medicare and private payers continue to focus on audits to recover improper payments. You need to be prepared for the possibility of an audit.

Stop My Dad’s Suffering: Bridging the Gap Between Comfort Care and Euthanasia

This article was originally published in the November 2019 issue of Critical Connections . Review this case study and analysis about bridging the gap between comfort care and euthanasia. 

Using Quality Improvement Strategies to Address Burnout and Promote a Healthy Work Culture

This article was originally published in the November 2019 issue of Critical Connections . The increased attention being given to addressing burnout among healthcare professionals is due in part to the recognition that burnout is a consequence of physical and emotional exhau...

May I Have Your Attention, Please? Renewed Focus on Medication Automation

This article was originally published in the November 2019 issue of Critical Connections . The medication use process in hospitals is often complex; however, technology and automation have made medication use more efficient and have enhanced safety.

Clinical Considerations in Managing the IVIG Shortage

This article was originally published in the November 2019 issue of Critical Connections . Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), first approved for use in the 1980s, is an essential treatment used in a wide variety of clinical specialties including neurology, hematology, immunol...

The Importance of Good Sleep in the ICU

This article was originally published in the November 2019 issue of Critical Connections . Critically ill patients commonly experience severe sleep disruption and deprivation. Excessive sleep fragmentation, reduced REM sleep, and loss of normal circadian rhythm are common.

The Impact of Opioids on the Delivery of Critical Care in the 21st Century

This article was originally published in the November 2019 issue of Critical Connections . Opioids impact critical care in multiple ways. Not only do they form the backbone of managing pain and sedation in the intensive care unit (ICU), the burgeoning opioid epidemic also fe...

Emerging Strategies and Hot Topics in Hospital-Acquired Infection

This article was originally published in the November 2019 issue of Critical Connections . 

Big Data Is a Big Deal

This article was originally published in the November 2019 issue of Critical Connections . Two experts in the field share their perspective ahead of their presentations at the 49th Critical Care Congress.

Does My Documentation Tell the Story in Critical Care?

This article was first published in the August 2019 issue of Critical Connections . In critical care, documentation requirements are not spelled out in as much detail as they are for non-critical care, which prompts the question, What do I need to document to support billing ...

Navigating a Child's Care When Parents Are Resistant to the Care Plan

This article was first published in the August 2019 issue of Critical Connections . A collaborative relationship between parents and the medical team is established and maintained in the vast majority of pediatric cases, particularly when patient-focused, family-centered init...

Early Identification of Sepsis: The Journey Since the Sepsis on the Wards Collaborative

This article was first published in the August 2019 issue of Critical Connections.  AdventHealth Shawnee Mission in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, USA, had a unique opportunity to impact the care provided to patients with sepsis in partnership with the Surviving Sepsis Campaign’s (...

Building a Case for Tele-Critical Care to Improve Quality

This article was originally published in the August 2019 issue of Critical Connections . Telemedicine in critical care has been intensely watched and widely debated in the literature.

SCCM's Family Engagement Collaborative: Building Teams for Success

This article was first published in the August 2019 issue of Critical Connections . In 2016, the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) created the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research – Intensive Care Unit (PCOR-ICU) Collaborative, bringing multiprofessional ICU clinicians t...

Creating a Culture of Caring: An ICU Patient Profile

This article was first published in the August 2019 issue of Critical Connections . The world of Rana Awdish, MD, changed on the last day of her pulmonary and critical care fellowship at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, USA. It was 2008, and Dr. Awdish, who was seven...

The ICU Liberation Bundle: An Emphasis on Nonpharmacologic Interventions

This article was first published in the August 2019 issue of Critical Connections . The ICU Liberation Bundle (formerly the ABCDEF Bundle) represents the blueprint for implementing the ICU liberation initiative within intensive care units (ICUs) around the world that aims to ...

Coding Corner: Revisiting Neonatal and Pediatric Critical Care Services

This article was first published in the May/June/July 2019 issue of Critical Connections . Coding Corner addresses the continuing changes in coding and billing.  Neonatal and pediatric critical care coding guidelines have been modified over the years, but the definitions re...

Drug Shortages: Peripheral Vasopressors: Friend or Foe?

This article was first published in the May/June/July 2019 issue of Critical Connections . The Drug Shortages column addresses recent events and issues related to drug shortages. Hemodynamic emergencies are common in the critical care arena. Once fluid resuscitation fails t...